Criminal records can be expunged through program offered on June 19

An expungement fair event on Wednesday may help residents clear their records of some crimes, giving individuals a better chance of being employed.

Held by Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree’s office, in cooperation with Kansas City Kansas Community College, the Expungement Day Resource Fair will be an opportunity for individuals to work with attorneys on expungement forms and will be a job resource.

It will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 19, at the KCKCC Dr. Burke Technical Education Center, 6565 State Ave. (the former Walmart building), Kansas City, Kansas. The Expungement Days will continue from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays through Aug. 14 at the KCKCC Dr. Burke Technical Center.

Jonathan Carter, public information officer for the district attorney, said Department of Justice studies have shown one of the biggest obstacles to being employed is a criminal record. If persons can get their records expunged, when they fill out job applications they will no longer have to list a criminal record, he said.

“You want folks to get back to work and provide for their families,” Carter said. A number of community groups are supporting this effort, he added. Also working with the event will be Kansas Legal Services and local attorneys.

Not everyone with a criminal record is eligible for expungement. Those with murder convictions, for example, are not eligible, Carter said.

A flier posted on the district attorney’s Facebook page showed the specific crimes that are not eligible for expungement. For those categories that are eligible for expungement, there is a waiting period of three years or five years after a sentence has been completed. There can be no felony convictions in the last two years and no pending felony charges, according to the chart.

Carter said the expungement program has taken place in Leavenworth County and Wichita previously, and it is the first time it has been sponsored by the Wyandotte County district attorney.

The event is open to the public, and only those persons who have been convicted through the Wyandotte County courts will be eligible for expungement here. The flier listing the crimes that are eligible for expungement, and those which are not eligible, is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/WYCODAOffice/.